


Quiet Emperor

by RoeDusk



Series: Warriors Orochi Shorts [3]
Category: Warriors Orochi
Genre: Loyalty, Other, Team as Family, Warriors Orochi 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:31:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13618236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoeDusk/pseuds/RoeDusk
Summary: Sometimes all a leader brings is hope.





	1. Arriving Unlooked For

It was strange to wake in an unfamiliar land each day, but stranger still to see those he’d mourned up and walking around. Not that Ma Dai was complaining, not at all, but... There was something disconcerting about being greeted, not as a long missed friend but as though they had met only the day before, when his heart nearly jumped out of his chest to see these men alive once more.

And stranger still was knowing things the others didn’t know. He _had_ lived longer than most of them, seen more of the war, watched the war grind to a prolonged border skirmish before dying himself. His cousin seemed stuck in an earlier age, acting like he was in the prime his physical form seemed to be, and as such overlooked things Ma Dai had learned to look for since the man’s death. Ma Chao just seemed to treat these moments like he did anytime Ma Dai tried to lighten the mood with a non-sequitur, so the younger man had done his best to stop slipping up entirely.

Which is probably why it took him a second to double take at the figure waiting across the camp as he and Ma Chao walked by. Or maybe it was that Liu Shan had taken off the oversized fur robe and his headdress. Stopping suddenly to try and catch a second glimpse of the figure bearing a striking resemblance to his emperor was instinctive, and he didn’t even realize he’d stopped mid sentence until his cousin turned back with an uncharacteristically worried look.

“Are you alright?”

“What?” Ma Dai startled out of his intent searching look to blink uncomprehendingly at his cousin. “Did you just see…” He trailed off when Ma Chao’s expression began to change back into ‘Ma Dai thinks he’s funny again’ and forced an easy smile. “Nah, nevermind. Lead on.”

But he didn’t follow immediately after Ma Chao nodded and set off again, turning back to scan the crowd once more instead. His sudden stop must have drawn some attention because Liu Shan was looking right at him, and gave him a polite wave when he looked his way again. They didn’t make eye contact long, Jiang Wei chose that moment to hurry to the young emperor’s side, already saying something and drawing Liu Shan’s attention to himself.

The sudden wave of anger surprised Ma Dai. The young strategist had been guarding Liu Shan this whole time and that was wonderful news, but to keep from telling anyone else the young lord was here? Liu Bei might be missing, even dead if the rumors were true, but Ma Dai’s Emperor was _right there_ and he hadn’t known!

Part of him wanted to rush over and shake Jiang Wei by the collar. Ask him if he thought he was the only one who worried about their lord, the only one who would protect him. But the more logical part of him understood that the fewer people to know Liu Shan was there, the less chance Orochi’s army would target him. And Jiang Wei had no reason to believe Ma Dai would be affected by news of Liu Shan’s survival, not when he was known first and foremost for his loyalty to his cousin.

Looking around, none of the other soldiers or officers seemed to recognize the young man his lord had grown into over the years. Even if he revealed himself, they might not be willing to follow Liu Bei’s quiet son. Ma Dai could see the logic in hiding the young lord this way, but it still hurt to see him standing there and do nothing.

Still, Ma Dai was no stranger to putting on a strong face, so he built himself a friendly smile and set off after his cousin, leaving the strategist and the Emperor of Shu alone.

 

* * *

 

“My lord, you said you would wait out of the way? Has something happened?” Jiang Wei exclaimed breathlessly as he approached, drawing Liu Shan’s attention. He’d just come from the tactics tent, and upon seeing Liu Shan waiting for him had assumed the worst.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. It’s just that they are breaking camp, and wanted the tents removed, so I decided to wait for you here. I am sorry for any worry I caused.”

“Not at all!” Jiang Wei was quick to reassure him, “It is I who should apologize for not thinking of it. Were you waiting very long?”

“It was pleasant,” Liu Shan replied without really answering, and smiled, “Knowing that the planning was being left in the best possible hands made whatever time I had to wait worthwhile.”

“I-I’m certain there are others who could do better than I,” the strategist protested quickly, but Liu Shan just shook his head gently.

“I cannot speak for the others, but there is no one else I would rather put my faith in, Jiang Wei.”

The warmth from those few words were enough to convince him of his lord’s sincerity, if not the truth of his words. However, they also reminded him of one last tactic he had been unable to bring up to the other officers at the strategy session. Determined, the young strategist stepped around his lord and bowed over clasped hands. “If the worst should happen you must escape at least, my lord,” he insisted breathlessly. “I will stay behind to guard your retreat. So, if the tide turns against us, please flee.”

A gentle touch on his shoulder startled him into looking up into Liu Shan’s faint smile. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see, there will be no rearguard. If the worst should occur, we will escape together.”

“My lord…” Jiang Wei began, wanting to argue an Emperor’s protection was more important than his own escape, but the words faltered on his tongue under the other’s gentle gaze. As often happened when he tried to determine his lord’s motives, all worries in the strategist’s mind quieted.

In the end he decided Liu Shan was likely to be worse off wandering the countryside alone than chased more closely but with an ally at his side. As Jiang Wei finally relaxed the young emperor smiled just a bit wider.

His strategist nodded once in agreement, “Understood, my lord. We will escape together.”

The young prince squeezed his shoulder once before stepping back. “You worry so much, Jiang Wei, that it almost seems you miss the easiest path because it cannot truly be that simple.” The emperor averted his eyes. “I apologize, that was unkind. It is your job as a strategist to see all sides of any issue. Such vigilance should be honored, not mocked.”

“Yet your words always find a way to put my mind at ease,” Jiang Wei replied with a small, tired smile of his own. “Thank you for worrying about me, my lord.”

“I am glad I could do at least this much,” Liu Shan replied easily, meeting Jiang Wei’s gaze again, smiling honestly this time. “Now, go. You still have a battle to prepare for. I will seek you out when the fighting starts.”

“Yes my lord!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as I can tell it's Dynasty Warriors canon that Ma Dai outlived Ma Chao, so I went with that. The poor guy outlived just about everyone in his age group, really. 
> 
> As for Liu Shan and Jiang Wei, my introduction to them was Dynasty Warriors 8. That whole battle everyone is being truly terrible to Jiang Wei. And at the end he's so fed up with them that he turns down Zhuge Liang's offer to join them! The guy he idolizes later! But Liu Shan apologizes, and Jiang Wei joins up because of him. I'd like to think that means they were close afterwards, even though Zhuge Liang thought Liu Shan was worthless compared to Liu Bei. Jian Wei wasn't Liu Bei's strategist after all. 
> 
> In short, historically they probably didn't get along, but in Dynasty Warriors I like to think Jiang Wei snuck Liu Shan tea in the library so they could hang out.


	2. A Small Distraction

“...And we will need to consider where to get our supplies,” Jiang Wei was saying, sounding more worried with every sentence. “We can afford to live off the land with our current party as small as it is, but if we recruit more members, or this war lasts longer than we would like, we’ll need at least one steady source of food and repairs...”

For her part Xingcai just nodded when he glanced up at her, agreeing with his assessment. She’d learned long ago that Jiang Wei worked best when allowed to talk out his strategies’ most basic points with another. When he was finished she would do her best to deal with at least some of the minor details so he wouldn’t have a chance to flounder in them when he began looking to the big picture.

Finally out of breath, the tired strategist sighed and ran a hand over his eyes, then glanced out into the yard only to blink and slow down, forcing Xingcai to stop as well or leave him behind. Jiang Wei’s expression flickered from alarm to confusion before settling on a calmer look than she usually saw on him. Turning to check what he was looking at revealed Liu Shan patiently trying to coax a cat into coming out of the bushes to where he could pet it.

“He’s going to get himself scratched at this rate,” she sighed.

“Perhaps,” Jiang Wei replied softly, shaking his head. “But if he makes no sudden movements the cat might decide to investigate rather than attacking.”

“He should have brought some food to bribe it over at least,” Xingcai insisted, only to cut herself off as the animal took a tentative step out of the bushes towards the offered hand.

Holding very still, to avoid startling the animal or reveal their audience to their lord, both retainers watched as the cat leaned out to sniff Liu Shan’s hand once, twice, three times before butting its head against his fingers. Then again more strongly, and a third time, until it was allowing the young Emperor to brush his fingers around its cheeks.

It was still prepared to run if he made any sudden moves, but the first steps had been taken. Watching the pair settle cautiously around each other Jiang Wei smiled.

Then, with renewed energy, he turned back to Xingcai. “Would it not be our duty as his retainers to find something to feed the cat?”

Startled, and a little taken aback, Xingcai just blinked at him.

“What?”

But Jiang Wei had already started up again.

“While we can survive on the plants and grains we’ve managed to gather or stockpile, a cat is a carnivore and cannot digest plant matter. Both the feline our lord is attempting to befriend and our own men would likely appreciate some source of meat. There is not the land for grazing domestic animals, and we would be likely to lose them if we were attacked again. But there should be ample sources of wild game in the surrounding woodlands.”

He was already turning back the way they came, rambling about checking their troop counts and possible hunting strategies. Xingcai turned to follow, answering his rapidfire questions about requisitioning arrows and who they could afford to send hunting who could both stalk game and yet keep the hunting party safe.

In the yard behind them the cat finally allowed Liu Shan to scratch the top of its head.

 

* * *

 

“Lord Zhao Yun!” Yukimura greeted happily when he rounded a corner to find the other spearman standing there. The Shu General startled and glanced up in confusion (and some slight wariness) before the small smile he’d sported the moment before returned in full.

“Ah, Lord Yukimura, were you looking for me? I apologize, I was on my way to the training grounds when I was distracted.”

“By what, may I ask?”

The samurai stepped up beside his new comrade to look out into the yard. There, kneeling beside a row of bushes, was a young man with a pleasant smile petting a cat which lay on the ground in front of him. It was a surprisingly simple scene for this demon war they found themselves in. And a peaceful one.

“Who are they?” Yukimura asked after a moment and Zhao Yun shook his head.

“For the cat I have no idea. It’s likely a stray from the area used to the people who once lived here. But the young man is my lord’s son, Liu Shan.”

“Ah, then it is good he is well,” Yukimura agreed with a smile. “You were able to save your lord’s family, even if you haven’t managed to find him yet.”

“It’s more that that,” Zhao Yun replied with a shake of his head. “I’ve known Liu Shan since he was small, and bear a fondness for him. Not knowing his fate tormented me when I woke to find myself captured.”

The samurai didn’t respond right away, considering his comrade’s words and the young man in front of them. Finally he clasped his fellow spearman’s shoulder.

“He looks well.”

“He does,” Zhao Yun agreed easily, “And I am glad of it. Now, were you heading to train as well?”

Yukimura smiled widely, “If you are offering to sparr, Lord Zhao Yun, I would not turn you down.”

 

* * *

 

Liu Shan looked up from the cat curled on his lap as Yoshihiro Shimazu made his way over to them. “Greetings, Lord Shimazu. What brings you?”

“Just came to see the new addition,” Shimazu replied cheerily, sitting down in front of Liu Shan and the cat, which tensed and backed into the young man’s chest slightly. Still, it stayed put when Yoshihiro offered a hand for inspection, not yet willing to give up it’s comfortable heater.

Liu Shan smiled down at the cat as it relaxed again and Shimazu scratched it under the chin.

“You’re aware all your soldiers have been coming by to watch the two of you?” Shimazu asked after a long moment, “Even some of the others have come by.”

Liu Shan nodded.

“I have seen them, but I did not think they wanted me to notice, so I pretended I did not. Besides,” He scratched the cat behind its ears, “I do not think a small moment of happiness hurt anyone.”

And Yoshihiro found he had to agree. The atmosphere in camp had been far better today than any of the days before. Even Tachibana seemed to be in a better mood, and she hadn’t noticed the young man with the cat yet.

His thoughts were interrupted when the cat was suddenly moved onto his own lap, allowing the young man in question to stand and dust himself off.

“What’s this for then?”

Liu Shan stopped and glanced down at him with that faint smile still on his face.

“You are a cat lover, are you not? I hardly have any ability to take care of myself, let alone another living being. You have a much better chance of keeping her alive than I do. Besides, she makes you happy. Isn’t that reason enough?”

And then he left, wandering back towards the main camp to do… something, Yoshihiro wasn’t sure.

But he wasn’t wrong about the cat, who had settled back down after a moment’s distress. Yoshihiro found himself smiling down at it (her?). “Well my lady we’d better find something to eat, before the rumbling of my belly startles both of us.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, the third of three short fics I had ready, just in need of editing. Hope someone enjoys it.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm one of those people that sees Dynasty Warriors Liu Shan as smarter than he's said to be. No idea if that's true of the historical one or not, but the game one? Definitely how I take it. 
> 
> I think the most dramatic moment of playing Dynasty Warriors 8 for the first time was co-oping the Jin invasion of Shu, running high on adrenaline, and suddenly there we are, face to face with Liu Shan. Who asks politely for us to go home.   
> I'm with Sima Zhao there, his face was pretty much the face both of us were making. Just amazing contrast, and he actually did pretty well in calming everyone down.
> 
> I have a number of other notes and summaries that could become shorts like this, but we'll see how it goes. Thank you for reading!


End file.
